Professional Assessment of Census Planning Capacity in South East Nigeria

The upcoming national census presents a significant operational challenge, and professional assessment of census planning capacity in South East Nigeria's five states identifies gaps requiring technical investment before enumeration. This study assessed census planning and operational capacity across Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi States, representing the South East geopolitical zone. A structured census readiness assessment was conducted through interviews with 25 NPopC state directors and senior staff (5 per state), documentary review of state-level census preparation plans, and benchmarking against UNSD updated principles and recommendations for population and housing censuses. Assessment dimensions covered enumeration area demarcation progress, enumerator recruitment capacity, GIS infrastructure, public awareness campaign readiness, and budget commitment. Results showed that enumeration area demarcation was complete in two states but below 60 percent in three. GIS digital mapping infrastructure was functional in all five states. Enumerator training capacity was adequate in three states but severely constrained in Imo and Abia. Public awareness budget was allocated in all five states. The assessment identified enumerator capacity development, transport logistics, and field supervision as the three most critical preparedness gaps. Recommendations include NPopC deploying regional support teams to Imo and Abia, UNFPA pre-positioning logistics support, and developing state-level census communication plans targeting hard-to-enumerate rural communities in the South East zone.

Keywords: census planning, South East Nigeria, NPopC, census readiness, enumeration capacity